French feminists apply Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory to their readings because it can provide the “basis for resisting the idea of a stable ‘masculine’ authority or truth” (Dobie 119). The primary focus is on Lacan’s concept of the Imaginary Order, the pre-linguistic phase of development that is free from the Law of the Father, or language (Dobie 119). According to Lacan, the Imaginary Order is a state characterized by “wholeness and fullness” wherein one is “unaware of its separateness from the mother” (Dobie 65). This state exists before the Symbolic Order in which the Law of the Father reigns (Dobie 66).
Lacan asserts that gender is constructed and it is the father who “enforces cultural norms and laws” (Dobie 66). Because of this, girls must recognize their father as superior and realize that their claim to the phallus isn’t as strong as the claim of their male counterparts (Dobie 66). French feminists reject this idea and instead assert that the “voice of the Mother [is] the source of feminine power and writing” (Dobie 119). In l’ecriture feminine, women’s writing that comes from the Imaginary Order, these feminists find the “essence of feminine style.” This writing is characterized by exclamations, circularity, and silence (Dobie 119).
There are many examples of exclamation in “G-String.” While Gillian is shopping, she thinks, “If only!” (Barker 70). In reference to the G-String itself, Gillian exclaims, “Oh, the G-String was a modern thing, but it looked so horrid!” (Barker 71). The windshield wiper made a “wheeeuwoing!” sound when it came off (Barker 71). When Gillian takes off the G-String in the car with Mr. Kip, the narrator exclaims, “And what a sight!” (Barker 71). Even Mr. Kip exclaims, “Good gracious […] Those are preposterous!” (Barker 71).
There is some circularity in the story. The idea of what “a girl should be” starts with Mr. Kip’s admiration of Katharine Hepburn, who is described as skinny, elegant, and sparky (Barker 69). This idea is evoked again with the youthful Jeanie who is “twenty-one with doe eyes, sunbed-brown and weighing in at ninety pounds” (Barker 70). This image presents itself again with the idea of what it means to be a “modern” woman. Jeanie presents the G-String to Gillian by telling her that they are “truly modern knickers” (Barker 70). Later, this comes back when Gillian takes of the G-String: “She was a truly modern female” (Barker 72).
The silence in the story can be explained by a study entitled Women’s Ways of Knowing about female intellectual development. The study provides a model that shows how a woman finds her voice. A woman starts off in silence and “take[s] identification from external authorities” (Dobie 110). Throughout the story, Gillian has a lot of thoughts but she doesn’t speak her mind. This is explicit when Mr. Kip treats her badly at the party and Gillian is unhappy about it, but she doesn’t tell him: “Of course she didn’t actually say anything” (Barker 71). Instead Gillian keeps her thoughts to herself and “dutifully” does what Mr. Kip tells her to do. Even though Mr. Kip isn’t shopping with Gillian, his opinions influence Gillian’s decision-making process: “Bodysuits, Gillian just knew, would not be Mr. Kip’s idea of sophisticated” (Barker 70). Though she is already taking her cues from Mr. Kip’s ideal, she is also “keen not to incur the Jeanie’s wrath,” and chooses underwear that Jeanie wouldn’t speak badly about (Barker 70).
From silence, women move into subjective knowledge and “they turn away from others but still lack a public voice” (Dobie 110). Gillian slowly began to turn away from Mr. Kip. The act of buying the G-String was a nonverbal departure from Mr. Kip’s norm. Gillian discovers that she didn’t like the way wearing the G-String felt. “Gillian wanted to be a modern girl” but the G-String “tormented her” (Barker 71). She kept this to herself also.
Finally, women move into constructed knowledge and “integrate their own intuitive knowledge with what they have learned from others” (Dobie 110). Gillian integrated what she learned about wearing the G-String with what Jeanie told her about them being “modern knickers” and made her own decision to take them off and free herself in the end. Also, in the end, Gillian is finally able to tell Mr. kip how she feels about him: “Gillian turned on him, ‘I’ve really had it with you, Colin,’ she snarled, ‘with your silly, affected, old fashioned car and clothes and everything’” (Barker 72).
Gillian’s triumph in the end challenges the traditional male/female binary opposition, which French feminists seek to do (Dobie 119). Initially, the roles are traditional. Gillian fits the subordinate female role and follows Mr. Kip’s orders “dutifully” (Barker 69). Mr. Kip gave orders “keeping his hand on the gearstick in a very male way” (Barker 70).
The roles switched in the end when “Finally Gillian couldn’t stand it a minute longer” (Barker 71). When the windshield wipers on the car were broken and Mr. Kip sat helplessly, Gillian took over. She gave orders and Mr. Kip followed them. She fixed the wipers: “Gillian manipulated the wipers manually […] all superior and rhythmical” (Barker 72). As if relinquishing masculinity and surrendering the phallus, Mr. Kip took his hand off the gearstick and “slip it on to Gillian’s lap” (Barker 72). Mr. Kip was driven by passion instead of reason, which is a traditionally female association. In the end, Gillian is on top: “She was knickerless. She was victorious. She was a truly modern female” (Barker 72).
Works Cited
Barker, Nicola. “G-String.” The Art of the Story. Ed. Daniel Halpern. New York: Penguin, 1999. 69-72. Print.
Dobie, Ann B. Theory into Practice. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.
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